วันศุกร์ที่ 19 ตุลาคม พ.ศ. 2555

Prudence,
I have wonderful parents who often watch my 5-year-old and 2-year-old
daughters. My parents live at the beach and have taken the kids for overnights,
and even for a week. They have become close friends with a nearby couple their
age, who also have grown children and a grandson. The problem is that my
husband and I are totally creeped out by the man. My oldest daughter has come
home from trips to my parents’ house with a "present" from this man:
a seashell, a feather, a rock. Once when I was dropping my girls off, I stayed
awhile and “Fred” and “Wilma” stopped by and brought a present. It was a sand
dollar in a box elaborately decorated with fancy ribbon. I had a pit in my
stomach the whole way home and I realized what bothered me about Fred’s
gestures. They seem innocuous but are too adult in their presentation; he only
brings gifts when my husband and I aren't scheduled to be there; and he singles
out my older daughter and doesn’t bring presents for my younger one. It feels
like he is grooming her to trust him, and my mommy-warning sirens are
screaming. I have no proof or even a suspicion of impropriety on this man's
part, but the girls are set to stay with my parents for a long weekend and we
want to be certain that my folks won't be socializing with Fred and Wilma. We
don’t want to insult their friendship, but how do we explain that their friends
are creepy and we don't want them near our kids?

Dear At a Loss,

I would never say any parent should ignore a gut feeling about her child’s safety.
But from your description of this situation, my gut feeling is that you have
overactive mommy bowels. If you see every friendly man as a potential predator,
you’re going to convey unnecessary fear and anxiety to your children. Let’s
parse your indictment—which you acknowledge lacks a scintilla of evidence of
wrongdoing. On its face, there’s nothing creepy about a retired couple who
perhaps don’t get to see as much of their grandchild as they’d like taking a
shine to a grandchild of friends. Perhaps you don’t run into Fred and Wilma
when you’re visiting because they know you’re coming and don’t want to horn in
on your time with your parents. Maybe Fred comes up with token gifts for your
5-year-old because she’s so delighted by them, and she’s verbally responsive in
a way a 2-year-old can’t be. I’m guessing that the menacing wrapping of the
sand dollar (cue thesoundtrack
by Bernard Herrmann) was actually done by Wilma. Not because she’s craftily in league
with her molester husband, but because she’s a grandmother who enjoys crafts
and happy looks on children’s faces.

Fred
reminds me of my own grandfather, who loved small children. Nothing made him
happier than to have one of his many grandchildren sleep over, and I have
wonderful memories of him roughhousing with me when I was little. Once, on a
break from college, I was visiting my grandparents’ apartment and there was a
knock at the door. The sheepish woman from across the hall said she didn’t want
to intrude, but her daughter, about 4 years old, insisted on seeing if her
favorite neighbor was home. She ran to my grandfather, jumped into his arms,
and he swung her around the way he had once swung me. I’m aware of this
description of my grandfather taking on a sinister air in light of your
letter—and I was one of the children he adored and who adored him! If your
internal organs will be in a twist unless you say something to your parents,
then you have to speak. Banning Fred and Wilma from your children’s presence
could potentially ruin your parents’ friendship, and I don’t think you’ve made
a case it’s necessary. But go ahead and tell your parents that you know you
sound paranoid, but Fred’s interest in your child makes you uneasy. Insist that
your parents agree your children will never be alone with anyone else or out of
their sight.

Dear

Prudence,
I'm in my mid-20s and my best friend from high school is running for political
office for the first time. We’ve lived in different cities since high school,
so I don’t see him often, but I was the best man at his wedding and I love him
as a friend. The problem is he asked me for money for his campaign, and I
disagree with his politics. He's smart and well-educated, but he’s a relatively
extreme Republican and some of his stances make me sick. If I did donate I
suppose I could match his with one to a left-wing candidate in a close race in
a different district. What should I do?

—Undecided Citizen

Dear

Undecided,
It’s one thing to be asked to donate to a friend’s cause that’s not at the top
of your list—he raises money for historic preservation and you’re interested in
population control. It’s another to be solicited to support an ideology you
feel is noxious. I do wish more people could look across the political aisle
and say, as you do of your friend, that while you profoundly disagree with his
conclusions, you think he’s arrived at them honorably. Still, that doesn’t mean
you should cut a check to someone who would try to implement policies you hate.
I think you should write to your friend and say you will always wish him
happiness and success. Then say, in case he didn’t know, you need to reveal a
secret: You’re a Democrat, a really liberal one. Explain you hope he
understands that while you’re personally proud of him, you two need to keep
politics out of your friendship. But if he wins, you will raise a glass to a
great guy’s victory.

—Prudie

Dear

Prudence,
I’ve discovered a fraud in my company, and I don't know what to do. I work at a
great, small company and the owners are wonderful bosses. The main division,
where I primarily work, is profitable and well run. But another division—where
I have some duties—is in trouble, which everyone knows about except the owners.
This division is run by a middle manager, “Scott,” whose skills and expertise
are lacking. A recent hire by Scott, a guy named “Thom,” is threatening to
bring the situation to a head and I am not sure whether I should alert the
owners. Suspicions among the staff were aroused when Thom, who was billed as an
expert in our field, appeared to know little about our industry. He also
started insisting his name was "Tom," not "Thom," though
his email and other documents use "Thom." I like research and have
access to multiple databases, and I quickly discovered Thom’s credentials are
fraudulent, and he’s lied about pretty much everything since being hired. My
company does not like complainers and the owners value a culture of kindness.
Suspicion would not go over well. But Thom threatens a large part of our
business, and Scott is so opaque he appears to be hiding a lot of things.
Should I wait for this to play itself out, or should I speak up? I fear being
branded as a non-team-player and I need this job for the long term.